Cugley pleased with opening training session

63 days - nine weeks - after the 1-1 draw at Carshalton, which secured Folkestone Invicta’s Ryman Premier status, the players were back in training yesterday, a week earlier than the majority of non-league teams as Neil Cugley’s men aimed to hit the pre-season games running.

Two weeks before the first pre season game against Blue Square Southern side Welling United, the players engaged in preliminary fitness work with Mark Saunders.

“The players had a long run up to Hawkinge, up through the hills, just worked hard really,” manager Neil Cugley told www.folkestoneinvicta.co.uk.

“They didn’t start any ball work today, we’ll start on that on Monday and Wednesday and we’ve got games coming up as well.

“It’s always nice to get the first training session out of the way because it’s just running and can seem a bit boring and now we can work on some real football."

Currently, four additional players have been signed on for the start of the new season and the Folkestone manager continues to look for new faces to strengthen the squad, many new trialists also joined the start of pre-season fitness training as they attempt to prove themselves over the coming weeks, eager to secure a longer-term deal at the club.



Neil Cugley and his Folkestone Invicta squad are already preparing for their Ryman Premier League campaign, which kick's off on 18th August.
Photography courtesy of www.folkestoneinvicta.co.uk

“We had three or four new lads to see how they get on and obviously they trained well, we were quite impressed with a couple of them,” explained Cugley, whose preparing for his eleventh season in charge.

“A lot of the time they just ring and get my number, others send letters in and you don’t always want to say no straight away to them because they might be half decent; but at the same time they’ve got to be better than what we’ve got.

“It’ll be more closed in on Monday and Wednesday because it’ll just be out the back on the Polo field so I can have a better look at one or two of them.”

Despite currently having a squad of nineteen players, Cugley has continued to express an interest in bringing more new faces to the Buzzlines stadium.

“I’m still talking to a few players that I want to bring to the club who weren’t at training today, but I’m not going to be rushed into it,” explained Cugley.

“I have got a player I am keen on but I don’t want to rush in and sign him and then not have the money available if anyone better comes in.

“I do think we need to strengthen the attack before the season starts and this is the area where I’ll be looking for players.”

One area that almost certainly needs strengthening is the goalkeeping, with seventeen-year-old Luke Stonebridge the only recognised goalkeeper in the squad.

The Folkestone manager has had several discussions with goalkeepers in the close season but as yet, has been unsuccessful in bringing any to the club.

Cugley said: “I’m still talking to a couple of goalkeepers but again, I’m in no rush. Luke was training hard with Gary Towse this morning and if need be he’ll start in the first few friendly games and so what happens from there.”

Two of the new faces at pre season training were new signings Charlie Glyde and Frankie Chappell who signed one-year contracts at the Buzzlines Stadium after Cugley went on holiday.

Having since returned and presided over their first training session with their new teammates, the Folkestone manager added: “Taking any lads on is a gamble and you have to expect mistakes from them but from what I saw in training of them today they looked very fit and they have been at a professional club for a few years, they’ve been trained properly and one thing they won’t be caught out on is their ability because they are very good players even for their age.”

The pitch is continuing to benefit from the copious amount of rain that has fallen on the area in the past month and both goalmouths are now particularly green, and, with still two weeks two the first action on the pitch and more forecast of rain, it can only get greener.

The club is also awaiting delivery of a new players tunnel, which will eventually extend from the Wilf Armory Suite to pitch side and in preparation of this, the last remaining metalwork in front of the building was removed by disc-cutter.

Now all that remains to be completed is a formation of pillar to attach the tunnel to the building.

The Folkestone Manager personally expressed his gratitude to all those who helped out on Saturday morning and remarked on how well work was going.

Article courtesy of Andy Bown & Tom Marchant - www.folkestoneinvicta.co.uk